Mozaik Montblanc
by faerimagic
Summary: Gumi was just a grumpy, foul-mouthed teen. And then, she fell in love. Perhaps that was a good reason to try to pretend to be a better person. An attempt at blending the Vocaloid songs of "Coward Montblanc" and "Mozaik Role" into a story. Slight Language.
1. Chapter 1: Real

**AN:** Let me just say that writing this story is going to be hard. The previous draft involved online rpgs, which I discarded as 'tacky'. (I just decided that now...0.0;;) It also seems that writing is easier to me when done in script (or text, for those picky ones) format, a structure that is unfortunately banned from FF. . I also feel awkward when reading my stories in story format (hardy-har-har). It feels as if something is missing.  
>Miku is no longer annoying in this version. I think.<br>Gakupo and Luka are the parents. Miku, Gumi, and Rin are the daughters. Kaito is a classmate.

* * *

><p>"Are you having a good time?" Kaito asked as they exited the movie theater.<br>"Yup." Gumi lied. In truth, she found it boring. Why pay that much when she could easily rent it for half-price? And the mess people made! But in reality, she would go anywhere with this boy, even to hell.  
>Most people immediately found her as cold. Well, at least they did last year. In fact, she would still be hostile if she had not noticed Kaito. To cut the lovey-dovey exaggerations short, she found him to be a handsome and kind prince, different from the usual idiots.<p>

The cell phone went off. Holding back a curse, Gumi pulled it out as she smiled apolegitically at Kaito. "Hello?"  
>"Gumi! Can you buy some leeks on your way home?" Miku asked. "Oh, and some tuna for Luka."<br>"And don't forget oranges!" said the distant voice of Rin.  
>"Eggplants..." said Gakupo.<br>"Sorry, Miku, I'm kind of busy right now." Gumi said with a polite voice. _Why the heck do _I_ have to do it? _She thought with annoyance.  
>"..." The phone was silent.<br>"Miku?" Gumi asked.  
>"'Why the heck do <em>I<em> have to do it?'" Miku whined and then resumed her normal voice. "That's what you usually say. What are you up to?" Gumi could tell that Miku was suspicious.  
>"What do you mean?" Gumi asked innocently. <em>What, can't I be a person that doesn't mess everything up once in a while?<br>_"...You're with a guy, right?" Miku said slyly.  
>"SHE'S WITH A GUY?" The phone blared with Gakupo's voice. "I NEED TO THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATE THIS GUY THAT GUMI-CHAN IS SEEING."<br>"Oi, oi, have you any idea how weird that sounds?"Luka said as she mercilessly pulled an injured Gakupo away from the telephone.  
>"Tell Dad that I'm fine." Gumi told Miku. "I'll be home soon, anyways, ok?"<br>"...Sure." Miku said. Gumi closed the cellphone and sighed.  
>"Sorry about that." She said to Kaito.<br>"It's no problem." He smiled. "It's only natural for your father to worry."  
>"Oh...you heard that..." Gumi said, feeling a blush crawl onto her face.<br>"Well," Kaito laughed. "He _was_ yelling at the top of his lungs."  
>Gumi giggled. <em>Dad is gonna pay for it when I get home. <em>Gumi promised herself.

* * *

><p>Kaito walked her home. KAITO. WALKED. HER. HOME.<br>_And, may I add, FROM. MY. FIRST. DATE._ Gumi thought as she closed the front door and sighed.  
>"Gumi-chan?" Her father said, peeking from behind a corner. "Oh, you're home. Now, <em>where is that young man you were dating<em>?" Gumi kicked off her shoes as she walked towards her father with her head down.  
>"Where is he, indeed?" she said, trying to control her emotions. "But what would you need him for, Dad?" She slowly raised her head to look at her father. "Why indeed did you have the need to <em>thoroughly investigate him<em>?" Gakupo, losing his atmosphere of authority, instantly shrank back.  
>"Ah, did I say that, Gumi-chan?" He whimpered.<br>"Ah, Gumi-san's back." Rin said.  
>"Should we save Dad?" Miku asked.<br>"Naw, let him suffer." Luka said as Gakupo began to sustain emotional injuries from Gumi's cold and hostile atmosphere. Gumi sighed as she stopped mentally torturing Gakupo. She went to her room for some peace and quiet. _Honestly..._  
>"Lukaaaa!" Gakupo cried as he ran to hug her. "Gumi-chan was so cold and mean to me..."<br>"And did you expect me to comfort you?" Luka asked with annoyance.  
>"No, I expected you to hit me as well..."<br>Luka then rewarded him with a punch. "Ugh, whatever am I going to do with you, my masochistic husband?" she said with disgust.

Gumi was lying on the bed, having wonderful daydreams. Really, Kaito was the first boyfriend she had. She wondered if this relationship was going to last. If he knew about her real personality, their bond would probably evaporate. Of course, Gumi didn't want that. She didn't want Kaito to see the ugly, vengeful person that she was. She got up and went to her mirror. There, she saw a girl with short, green hair. She used to hate her hair because of the happy cheerful color. Now, she needed it.  
><em>If I arrange my hair like this...<em> Gumi thought as she brushed her hair carefully. _...And if I smile like this..._ She thought, as she smiled a small smile. Yes, if she did all that...  
>She'll look almost...pretty.<p>

Gumi frowned. "Forget it, forget it!" She yelled at herself. She'll never be pretty. Not since she cut her hair short. Her effing _stupid_ hair...  
>In anger, she mussed up the green strands and clumps until the final product became an artificial bedhead. "Great, Gummy Bear!" she yelled at her reflection with spite. "Now you're just as ugly as on the inside!" She glanced to her left where the desk stood. There, in the pencil mug was a pair of scissors. It was the same pair of scissors that she had used to snip her long locks so long ago.<p>

"_Fake! You're a fake!_" said a long-forgotten memory. Gumi bit her lip.

"Fake. I'm a fake." She said to herself, as if those words couldn't hurt her. As if those lies weren't the truth.


	2. Chapter 2: A Great Cook

AN: To anyone who's still watching this story, I apologize for making you wait...um, eight months for the next chapter? o_O;;

I'll just say it right now: I'm horrible at planning.

* * *

><p>"Tch!" Gumi hissed as she retracted her finger from the stove. She bit back a curse as she waved her stinging hand erratically.<p>

What the hell was she doing, cooking? She hated cooking!

"_You made a bento? For me?_" Kaito smiled at her. "_Thanks so much, Gumi._"

And just like that, Gumi deflated. Yes, the scars would be worth the smile that she'll receive from him. She was unaware of the red blush creeping across her face as she imagined his dazzling smile. She was also unaware of Miku entering the kitchen.

"You're COOKING?" Miku asked incredously. Gumi scowled.

"Can't a girl cook?"

"But you NEVER cook!" Miku pointed out.

"Wellllll, I just thought it was time for me to get my cooking skills in shape." Gumi lied.

"Riiiiight." Miku rolled. "You're burning the rice." Gumi whipped her head to the pot and cursed in frustration. ("Oooh~, someone said f***!" Rin called down from upstairs.)

"Alright, move over!" Miku said as she rolled up her grey sleeves. (Why she liked the color grey, Gumi would never understand.) "I'm making this bento."

"Like hell, you are, and whoever said it was a bento?" Gumi growled.

"You would only ever cook for someone you loved~" Miku teased, wagging the ladle in Gumi's face. "And relax, I'm allowing you to take credit. I just don't want you to become a mummy with all those burns of yours." At the mention of burns, Gumi's hand began to sting.

Gumi sucked in her breath. "Fine." She grumbled. Miku WAS a good cook. Gakupo was banned from the stove, and Luka usually made something that was tuna. Miku, on the other hand, was capable of cooking anything. True, leeks did have a tendency to appear in the dishes, but those were easier to remove than smushed eggplants. "Just cut down on the leeks. And don't tell Dad."

"Hm~?" Miku asked innocently as she cooked. "Tell him what~?"

* * *

><p>Gumi came back downstairs with toothpaste slathered all over her hands. She hated it, but the dental cream did help alleviate the stings. She went into the kitchen to check the bento.<p>

"Wow." She said, as she examined the lunchbox.

"Isn't it?" Miku grinned.

"The rice is WHITE. WHITE." Gumi exclaimed. "How do you manage that?"

"Trade secret~" Miku winked. "Oh, but there's still the finishing touches to do."

"Okay." Gumi waited for Miku to put in the final details.

"So~?" Miku said, as she lowered her voice. "Who's the lucky boy?"

"Huh?" Gumi said, as she tried not to blush. The image of Kaito smiling at her entered her mind.

"I need to know his name!" Miku explained. "I need to arrange in his name in leeks!" She held up some leeks for emphasis.

Gumi snorted. "Who does that anymore?"

"You." Miku said. _Again, with the waving things in my face!_, Gumi thought as the leeks were pointed at her. "You are a sweet, happy, harmless, girl who's totally not violent and stubborn, and who gives out bentos with her crush's name written in them, and perhaps little tiny hearts, and NOT bentos with burnt rice in them."

Gumi blinked.

* * *

><p>"<em>Is there anything that you can actually <em>DO_?"_

* * *

><p>"I just need to know his name, Megumi!" Miku said, using Gumi's actual name.<p>

Gumi held her head, which consequently made some toothpaste streak her face. She remembered an unpleasant memory, and now she just felt like a piece of taffy pulled long and then was suddenly let slack; she was tired.

"His name is Kaito, and could do it with something other than leeks? Carrots, maybe? And no...no tiny hearts..."

"Carrots?" Miku wrinkled her face. "Not exactly my idea of romantic, but alright."

She arranged the baby carrots into Kaito's name.

"Done!" Miku said as she took a step back to view her, or more appropriately, "Gumi's" work. "Kaito, huh? I think I heard a Kaito before...eto...AH! Kaito Shion? You're dating Kaito Shion?" Miku said.

"Is there a problem with that?" Gumi glared. Or at least tried to glare. She was trying to get toothpaste out of her hair.  
>"No, he's cute!" Miku grinned. Seeing Gumi's glare, she hastily amended. "I'm just stating an observation, alright?" She snapped the bento lid on and placed it in the refridgerator, and cleaned up the rest of the mess that Gumi made.<p>

"I'm happy for you, Gumi!" Miku said, as she exited the kitchen and headed upstairs. "Good luck!"

"Yeah, yeah." Gumi said. She owed Miku one, and usually she hated owing anybody, but right now, she was grateful. She opened the kitchen door to look at the bento.

_Kaito will be happy. _She smiled tiredly. _He'll be surprised and say that I'm a great cook. _She closed the door. _I'm a great cook. _She repeated to herself.

_Gumi, you made this? It's so delicous! You're such a great cook!_

Gumi exhaled. It was just a little lie, after all. She went to the bathroom to clean off her toothpaste.

* * *

><p>Luka arrived home exhausted. Being the manager to the only supermarket in town was tiring, especially when the majority of issues that needed "resolving" was mainly for young idiots who only wanted to check her out. The aggravation! The fact that she was carrying a few grocery bags of tuna, eggplants, leeks, carrots, and oranges didn't make her feel better, either.<p>

When she got to the kitchen however, she paused before opening the refridgerator.

_What...was that?_

She bent down to take a closer look before hollering "ALRIGHT, WHO GOT TOOTHPASTE ON THE REFRIDGERATOR?"

Gumi, who was in the middle of doing homework, flinched.

"Oh, shit." she said.


	3. Chapter 3: Beginnings

Gumi held the bento in her hands. She clutched the orange fabric hard, and it was only a minute later when she realized she was shaking.

She frowned. She didn't like showing weakness; it annoyed her. So why was she so nervous about giving a bento to Kaito? It was just a lunch, after all.

She felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Gumi-chan?" a girl with hair the color of cherries asked. It was Miki, Miku's best friend, Gumi remembered. The two bubbly girls had been best friends since childhood, ever since they discovered the novelty of similar names. Gumi didn't speak to Miki much. She didn't care to involve herself in their conversations about whatever annoyingly optimistic girls talked about.

"Yes?" Gumi responded.

"H-have you seen Utatane-kun?" Miki blushed. Gumi realized that Miki, too, had a bento in her hands. Unlike Gumi's, however, it was wrapped in a clean, white cloth. The same color as Piko-kun's hair. _But isn't white a bit ordinary? _Gumi thought, feeling a bit smug about how eye-catching her orange bento was.

"Utatane-kun?" Gumi asked. "That bento's for him, right?" Miki blushed the same shade as her hair.

"Y-yes.."

Gumi wondered why Miki liked Piko. The guy was a wimp! He talked like a girl, he sounded like a girl, he even looked like a girl! He wasn't involved in sports, but he was the best in the class. Gumi guessed that Miki could have like him for his smarts, but a fat lot smarts were when you didn't use them to defend against teasing. In fact, Piko actually annoyed Gumi to an extent, the way he always apologized and never stood up for himself when Big Al and his gang decided to pick on him.

"I think he's in the library." Gumi told Miki. Gumi thought that Piko was always hiding in there from Big Al (since Big Al would never go in there by free will), but sometimes when she went in there to catch up on Death Note, she had glimpses of him on one of the study tables, researching about electrical plugs, murmuring something about energy converters, or electron frequencies or some other thing that Gumi couldn't care to understand.

Miki thanked her and headed off toward the library. Gumi almost wished her luck, but then decided not to. _After all, I might end up jinxing her._

She looked down at the bento in her own hands. _It's time. _She walked over to the gym to find Kaito.

He practicing kendo.

She could barely tell him apart from his opponent, especially since a crowd of other teenaged girls like herself were cheering the duelists on.

She frowned again, and then tried to wipe her frown away. She didn't want Kaito to see that ugly face.

She listened to the chanting of his name around her.

"KAITO! KAITO!" A girl, Teto, was cheering besides her. "GO, KAITO!"

The constant shouting of "Shion-kun" was staggering.

Gumi fell silent.

There were so many girls around Kaito. So many loved him like she did. So many were more beautiful, on the inside as well as the outside. So many were more worthy of him than her.

Why did she think that he was her boyfriend?

They only ever went on one date. Just one.

Why would he pick her?

She remembered him asking her one day after school to the movies, and after that, they began to keep in touch, having conversations and chats. Coffees. Snacks, occasionally.

But why her? That was her question. Maybe she was nothing more than a friend.

Gumi laughed grimly. It seemed that Miku's bento might be a complete waste, after all.

A loud cheering interrupted her thoughts. She snapped back to reality.

"I can't see, there are too many heads in the way!" She yelled angrily, though nobody paid attention. Nobody could hear anyone above the ruckus.

But then, just a little to her right, the crowd parted to reveal someone walking through.

It was Kaito.

_KAITO! _Gumi almost called to him. She had almost waved her hand so he could see her before suddenly retracting her hand. Who was she? Why should he like her? She clutched the orange bento; the cloth was already starting to wrinkle terribly.

"Gumi!" said a voice and she looked up.

Kaito was making his way toward her.

"I'm so glad to see you!" he said to her, with that smile that made her feel like syrup. "Come on, let's get out of this crowd." He gently took her wrist and led both of them out of the crowd. Gumi felt so incredibly happy and stunned.

_He's happy to see me? _She thought. _Me? _She let herself be pulled by the blue angel in kendo equipment, but she could see the amount of glares she was receiving.

* * *

><p>They stopped under a tree. Kaito had already returned the kendo equipment. It was sunny and mildly warm.<p>

"I..." Gumi began. Wait, what was she going to say? The words suddenly became jumbled up in her throat. "I-I..."

Kaito looked at the box in her hands.

"Is that a bento?" He asked her.

Gumi nodded. She didn't trust her mouth enough. What if she opened her mouth and said something insane like...pizza casserole? She'd never get rid of the self-inflicted humiliation.

"Who's it for?" he said softly.

Gumi thanked the spirits for creating monosyllabic words. At least her mouth could manage that. "Y-you." She looked down. Apparently, she still couldn't get rid of that stupid stammer. (_WHY? _Gumi thought.)

Kaito widened his eyes.

"I-I'm sorry if you don't want it.." Gumi said. "I understand..."

"No, you misunderstand." Kaito smiled. "I want it."

It took her a few seconds to register this statement. She looked at Kaito in disbelief.

"...What?"

"I would like to have it." He smiled. "May I?"

His smile was so brilliant and he looked so happy that Gumi was shocked beyond belief and consequently lost control of herself.

"YES!" She shouted at him. "YOU MAY HAVE IT!" She gave the box to him with a little more force than necessary before cupping her mouth.

"I shouted..." She said quietly, blushing profusely. _THAT WAS UTTERLY AND COMPLETELY STUPID, NOW HE'LL THINK I'M A DORK LIKE THAT PIKO._

Kaito laughed. He laughed at her. But it was a nice laugh, the kind of laugh that made her feel happy.

"It's really delicious." He said, after a few bites. "I really love it." And there was that smile again. Gumi was infatuated with that smile, and combining that smile with the words "I really love it." did devastating things to her willpower. And maybe her stomach, too.

Gumi clenched her growling abdomen. _Oh, yeah. I forgot to make my own lunch._

"Don't tell me you have nothing to eat!" Kaito said, with worry.

Gumi gave a small laugh. "Yeah..." she said weakly. _Now that was DEFINITELY stupid._

Kaito then insisted on sharing the lunch and Gumi complied. They ate in silence as they listened to the trees blowing. Just as they were finishing, the warning bell sounded. They had five minutes to get to class.

Gumi packed up the bento box. "See you." she said to Kaito.

"Wait, Gumi." Kaito said. Gumi paused.

"Yeah?"

Kaito opened his mouth and closed it. He opened it again, and closed it.

A minute passed. Two minutes. Gumi had to resist the temptation of looking at her watch.

Finally, he sighed.

"I'm going to say it straight out." He said. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Gumi blinked. _Did he just say what I thought he said?_

Internally, Gumi was screaming in joy. But it translated to an awkward smile, and a soft "Yes, I'm so glad you asked." She could feel her face burning so she looked down at her feet.

How many times did she dream up this scenario? There were hundreds of instances when she caught herself daydreaming ridiculously romantic scenarios, but to actually experience it in real life made her feel like her heart was riding an unstable train.

_Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud._

She felt him take her chin and draw her close. "...!" Gumi gasped._  
><em>

"You're so cute, Gumi." He whispered softly.

* * *

><p>Under normal circumstances, Gumi would have laughed at the amount of fluff in this situation, but this wasn't a normal situation. Gumi, herself, was contaminated with the fluff.<p>

Gumi closed her eyes, and for a moment, allowed herself to enjoy Kaito's kiss.

She faintly heard the late bell sound, but she ignored it. She didn't care. The whole world could collapse and she still wouldn't care.

She was kissing Kaito, and right now, nothing else mattered except that.

* * *

><p>AN: I just hope my writing is getting better. ;_; It seems like I've gotten rusty...<p> 


	4. Chapter 4: Rin's Troubles

**AN:** As I thought, I'm really not good with writing, ahaha. I actually started this chapter way back in September 2012, but I found it a little unsatisfactory, so I put it aside so I could develop it more later. _And so, five months later, I finally post the chapter._ It's a bit short, but I really think that this is enough for this particular scene. Let's hope I don't lag so much for the next chapter! =v=b (Or did I just jinx myself?)

* * *

><p><em>The sweet taste of Kaito's lips. The gentle touch of his hands through her hair. Gumi wanted this moment to last forever.<em>

_"Gumi..." Kaito said softly. "Gumi..."_

* * *

><p>"GUMI!" Rin said as she jabbed a finger onto Gumi's forehead.<p>

"FUCK!" Gumi cried out as she sat up in alarm, remnants of her daydream immediately dissolving.

Gumi grabbed the pillow that she had just been hugging before she was rudely interrupted and chucked it at Rin, who narrowly dodged the projectile.

"Dude, that was a seriously freaky grin you had there!" Rin said as she ducked.

"Goddammit, Rin!" Gumi seethed as she rubbed her forehead. "What the hell do you want?"

Rin flopped onto Gumi's bed, observing the minuscule cracks on the ceiling. "I just wanted to ask you if I could borrow some music. We're having a slumber party tonight."

"We are?" Gumi asked, vaguely remembering the annoying pleads for sleepover from Rin and Miku about a week ago.

Rin nodded. "Yup. Miki, Neru, and Len are coming over." She said. Gumi smirked.

"I'm surprised Dad let you bring your boyfriend over."

Rin laughed. "Why does everybody think that?" she chuckled as she drew in her legs and rocked herself back and forth. "Anyways, I wanted to ask you if I could borrow some music."

"Sure." Gumi said dismissively. "Get me a Death Note volume, while you're at it, why doncha?" Rin went to the bookcase where Gumi kept all her music, arbitrarily snagged a Death Note volume, and began shuffling through Gumi's music collection.

"Oh, sweet, when did you get DECO*27's new album?" Rin asked, starry-eyed and excited.

"Last week." Gumi said simply. Personally, she was more of a Yuyoyuppe fan, but DECO's songs were nice to hear when she needed to wind down.

Rin sat down as she examined the song booklet of the CD, and Gumi began reading her Death Note. She was so caught up in the suspense and action that she almost didn't hear Rin.

"...He confessed to me, you know." Rin said quietly. "Hm?" Gumi said, looking up on the word 'confessed'. "Oh, you mean, Len." She said as she went back to reading. "Isn't that nice."

* * *

><p>Rin remained silent as she leafed the booklet. Love songs. Heartbreak. Rin didn't feel these. She didn't have the same kind of love for Len as he did for her. She loved him as a friend. As a brother. They shared ice creams, they held hands, they hugged, and occasionally, she even gave him a kiss on the cheek. But it was all in good fun. She didn't feel romantic towards him at all.<p>

And so, Rin turned Len down. Of course, she felt bad. Of course, she felt horrible. She didn't like the feeling of crushing his fragile heart into tiny fragments, but she didn't want to lie to him either.

When he confessed to her, his face was flushed. He stuttered.

"_I l-like you._" He said. And instead of beating rapidly, Rin felt her heart plummet.

She forced herself to break his heart, but it didn't change the fact that she hated herself for doing so.

She saw him bite his lip. She saw his eyes water. She saw him try to regain composure despite knowing instinctively that he wanted to run away.

"_Then, can we stay as friends?_" Len asked as he tried to smile.

"_Dummy._" Rin replied as she returned his smile, loathing herself even more. "_We'll always be friends._"

* * *

><p>It was only a day after the confession. The pain still lingered, but Rin tried to push it away. Len would be coming over tonight, along with Miki and Neru. She had to act happy, excited.<p>

She had to pretend that everything was fine. Nothing had changed, after all.

Rin selected some music CD's that she thought would be good for the slumber party. As she exited Gumi's bedroom, she glanced back at Gumi. _If I was in love with Len the same way that Gumi loves her boyfriend, maybe none of these complications would exist._ She thought as she thanked Gumi for the music and closed the door.


	5. Chapter 5: Growth

**AN**: If you're from the UK or somewhere that uses the same diction, when I say "chip", I mean the crispy potato crisps that you usually get from a plastic bag.

* * *

><p>Momo-chan was busy cleaning the floor, looking all sorry and pitiful, as always. Her pink hair was in a ruffle, and her apron was covered with soot.<p>

A pair of elegant boots sauntered by.

"Ehhh…?" said a crisp voice. "You're still here, Momon?"

"Ritsu-sama..! I'm sorry! I've been cleaning as fast as I can…" The girl replied in a frightened voice.

Ritsu flipped her long copper hair in a ridiculously fashionable way. "Well, no matter. All this means is that you cannot go to the ball, which means you are therefore not eligible to [_static_] the prince!" She examined her fingernails in a careful manner.

"I have no wish to [_static_] the prince…" Momo whispered to herself. "I don't think the prince would like to [_static_] you either."

Ritsu narrowed her eyes. "What was that you said? Is it because I'm a [_static_]?" She took the dirty pail of water that was on the ground and threw its contents on the poor, pathetic, pink-haired girl. "Listen here, you [_static_]. I can [_static_] anyone I'd like. Perhaps you should remain here for the next week and reflect on your attitude."

* * *

><p>Gumi yawned and changed the channel. The revamped Cinderella drama was a bit tedious to watch. The occasional static the old TV emitted also did not entertain her. She rested her head on the sofa, a bit bored with her current circumstances.<p>

"When are they coming, again?" she called out.

"In like, a few minutes!" Miku replied from the kitchen.

"That's what you said half an hour ago." Gumi muttered. She could be playing violent MMORPGs right now, for god's sake.

Miku was currently preparing snacks for the sleepover while Rin was doing her homework in her room. As for Gumi, well, she was restricted from internet access and other solitary activities during the course of the sleepover. ("You might have fun with Miku's and Rin's friends." Luka had said. "Besides, you're the oldest, and we need you to supervise. I have some important work to do, and you know how unnecessarily enthusiastic your dad is about supervision. So you're practically perfect for the job!")

Gumi groaned. She could be questing for Blue Shards. _Blue Shards_.

The doorbell finally rang and she sprang off of the couch. She opened the door, and saw Miki, Len, and Neru with their sleepover items.

"So the Three Musketeers all arrived in one piece, I see." She said sarcastically. "Come in, Brave Warriors, and make yourself at home. Leave your holy shoes on if you like." Gumi made a grand sweeping motion as she opened the door for them. Miki giggled as they all took their shoes off.

"Why thank you, oh honorable lady!" The pipsqueak, Len, replied. "I shall certainly make myself at comfortable, and take my shoes off and let my toes air themselves out!"

Gumi sighed. The response was almost cringe-worthy. "Why certainly, good sir. It would be of the most highest honor to smell the airs of the land's most greatest heroes." She closed the door.

Miki giggled again. "HONOR." She whispered.

"Please don't throw around the word 'honor' while I'm present." Neru said while simultaneously texting with one hand and setting down her things, one of which included the sheath of her katana.

"Rin! Your friends are here to sacrifice you!" Gumi called.

"I'M ALMOST DONE, WHAT'S X IF 2X EQUALS X PLUS FOUR?"

"STRAWBERRY."

"MUCH THANK." Rin replied. "I'LL BE DOWN ONCE I GET THE ACTUAL ANSWER."

"Absolutely rude." Gumi told the three. "I don't know how you guys managed to make friends with her."

Miki giggled again. "Once we discovered that she liked oranges, it was pretty easy to handle her from that point on."

"I hope you didn't spend all of your allowances taming her." Gumi replied. She grabbed the half-filled chip bowl that sat on the living room coffee table. "Chip? I'm pretty sure they're not poisoned."

Miki took a handful and said thank you. Len took two handfuls. ("No thanks." Neru said. "Bad carbs.")

"Well, I'll be your supervisor for tonight, so don't get any ideas." Gumi said as she resettled herself on the couch. "But other than that, do whatever you young people do; I'll just be here on the couch, contemplating my ebbing life force."

"Do you think you're funny?" Neru said, glancing from the screen of her outdated flip phone.

Gumi looked at Neru with a tired expression. "Fuck you, I'm hilarious." She then took a dramatic bite out of her potato chip.

There was brief moment of pause as everyone listened to the running footsteps and the eventual trip that happened in the area near the stairway.

The living room door opened.

"Hi, guys!" Rin said, while gasping for breath.

"Whoa, Rin! Where's the fire?" Len said.

After pausing to take a few breaths, Rin drew herself up. "The fire's in my heart, Len!" she said, dramatically posing. "My true love is nearby….oh, there he is!" She then plucked the potato chip an irritated Gumi was about to eat and plopped it into her own mouth. Realizing her choice of words, she then added a quick sorry, to which Len just shrugged.

"Why are you apologizing, Rinny-Rin?" Gumi said, handing the potato chip bowl to Rin. "Not that I care. There's plenty of chips for all you midgets." She said as she got up from her comfortable seat. "Go ahead, stuff yourselves full."

Miki continued to giggle to herself as she laid out her sleeping bag. Neru's own immaculate sleeping bag was already laid out.

* * *

><p>Gumi headed towards the kitchen. "Hey, Miku, your executioners are here."<p>

"Wow, Gumi, you're so gruesome." Miku said, flashing a grin. "Well, hold on a minute, I'm almost done with this salad."  
>"Salad?"<p>

"You know, for tonight's dinner?"

"Ugh!" Gumi wrinkled her nose. "You're so prepared and so…goody-two-shoes."

"Haha, you got me!" Miku laughed. "I just like cooking, that's all."

"Okay, that's it." Gumi said, throwing her hands up in mock despair. "Miku, you're such a…nadeshiko…? Is that the right word? In any case, I give up, I can't take this anymore." She turned around and gave a tearful face. "Why do you have to be so goddamn perfect, Miku?"

Miku turned around and batted her eyes. "I can't help it, sis, I guess I was…Born That Way."

Gumi gasped. "You didn't!"

Miku smirked. "Oh yeah." She nodded in a suave-ish manner. "I went there."

"…" Gumi stared at Miku. "Pfftttt okay no, I really can't take this. You win this round, Leek Girl!" she pointed her finger at her sister. "But next time…" she lowered her voice. "There won't be a next time."

Miku returned to her usual bright laughter. "Ahahah, I love you, too, Gumi!"

* * *

><p>"What was so funny?" Len asked Gumi when she returned to her living room.<p>

"Huh? Oh, Miku and I were having a sass-off."

"Who won?" He replied. Gumi decided not to dignify that question a response and proceeded to give him a 'Who-do-you-_think?_' look. ("Ah, gotcha." Len said, as if he understood the meaning of her grimace.)

The midgets were busy playing Mario Kart, with Rin leading, Neru in second place, Miki in fourth, and Len in dead last.

"Dude." Gumi said. "Why don't you use the items as your shield?"

"What?" Len said as he leaned toward the left. (And bumping into Neru in the process. "Aughh, Len!" Neru cried in dismay. "Now I'm in third place! Thanks a lot, Len." "No problem." Len replied.)

"You keep on throwing away your bananas. You can use them as a shield, you know." Gumi told him.

"How do I use them as a shield?" He said. "Do I throw it in front of me?" He proceeded to toss a banana in front of him and then subsequently slipped on it.

"No, stupid! Okay, see Yoshi over there? Can you get ahead of him?"

"Um, yeah! Hold on." It took a few seconds for Luigi (the character Len was playing as) to get ahead of Yoshi, but he finally did.

"Okay, if you hold B while you have an item, you're protected by red or green shells from opponents."

"Ahh, I see! Let me try it." He said as Luigi drove through an item box.

**ITEM OBTAINED: Fake Item Box**

"Like this?" He said as he held B, the Fake Item Box trailing behind his car as he drove.

"No!" Gumi said. But she said it too late, for the evil Yoshi took advantage of Len's blunder and sent a red shell towards him. The red shell hit the fake item box and caused Luigi's car to spin out of control while the distinct red shockwaves coursed through the green plumber's body.

Gumi sighed. "The fake item boxes don't really work as a shield, I don't know why though."

"Wait, no! Miki! Goddammit!" Neru said, as Baby Peach sailed in front of Boo. Miki cackled in glee.

Len was still dead last. "Do you want to play?" He said quietly. Was his imminent loss too painful to bear?

"Alright, let me try to get you up to speed." Gumi said as she plopped herself down in front of the TV. "Pun intended."

* * *

><p>"NO FAIR, GUMI!" Rin whined as Luigi finally received his moment in the spotlight. Gumi dropped the Wii remote into Len's lap, then retrieved the chip bowl and laid down on the wooden floor.<p>

"What can I say?" Gumi shrugged. "I'm just that good."

"That was amazing!" Len said. "High five, partner!" He said, offering a grin and a raised hand to Gumi.

Gumi raised her eyebrow. Was he the one who decided to hold onto the blue shell before unleashing the devastation just before Wario (Rin) crossed the finish line? No. But Gumi grudgingly returned the high five.

"Hahaha!" Miki laughed before giving Neru a noogie. "Neru's a loser~! Neru's a loser~! Look at that face!" She pushed at Neru's cheeks so that Neru's lips puffed like a goldfish.

"Sh-shaddup!" Neru said while breaking free of Miki's grip. "I-it was just a stupid game, no need to make such a big deal about it."

"Awww, you're blushing, Neru!" Rin smiled.

"I'm not blushing, I'm FUCKING ANGRY!" Neru said, breaking her tsundere demeanor. "YOU!" She pointed at Gumi. "Rematch. Now!"

Gumi looked at Neru tiredly.

"Alright." Gumi said dully. "If you're so desperate to win…" She clapped her hand on Len's shoulder. "Len, I place all of my hopes on you. Good luck. You'll need it."

"W-What?! I'm not ready! You haven't trained me yet!" Len stammered.

"You're a complete natural, you can do this." Gumi lied through her teeth. But Luigi's celebration was cut short by the sudden opening of the living room door.

"Alright, enough with the Mario Kart, I'm done with the salad!" Miku yelled as she entered the living room with sashaying dance moves. "LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!"

"YEAH!" Rin, Len, and Miki said.

"Whatever." Neru stated.

"Woop de doo." Gumi sighed.

* * *

><p>Gumi ached all over. <em>I definitely danced way too much. <em>She faintly recollected screaming and laughing through Dance Dance Revolution, while also throwing a few choice words whenever someone beated her high score. _Well, time to wake up. _She sighed as she opened her eyes.

"!" She mentally screamed as she found herself face-to-face with a drooling Miki.

_It's alright! It's alright! Just turn over…_

She was now nose-to-nose with Len.

"…Fuck."

Len groggily opened his eyes. "Huh…?" He blinked. "Oh, hey Gummy." He said, giving a doofy-looking smile.

Gumi stared at the boy lying in front of her for approximately 8 seconds before going back into her trademark glare. "Don't. Call. Me. Gummy." She said, punctuating every word with a sharp poke.

Len stupidly stared at her before giving her another dumb grin. "Okay, Gummy."

She sighed before raising herself up from the blanketed floor. No point arguing with idiots. She glanced at the sunlight pouring through the window. It was early, the earliest she had woken up in a long time.

_Must've been really tired after all that dancing if I just crashed onto the floor with the other midgets. _She reasoned.

Another thought flashed to her mind and she immediately stood up and raced to her room as quickly and as quietly as she could.  
><em>Maybe mom remembered to turn on the Wi-Fi!<em>

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>: She didn't, by the way.

Okay, so yeah, a chapter that randomly pops up after a long time. It's kind of ironic that I'm portraying the Vocaloids in an ordinary life while the UTAUs, (Ritsu and Momo) are portrayed as stars. But that's okay! I'm not sure if I'll insert UTAUs into Gumi's life. Everything's primarily Vocaloid-related so far. But wouldn't that be funny? Imagine Vocaloids screaming, desperate to get Ritsu-sama's signature! Hahah, it's usually portrayed the other way around.

((Oh, and yes I used female pronouns to describe Ritsu, I'm well aware of the issue surrounding Ritsu's gender. But it was a Cinderella reference and I wanted Ritsu to be the "fabulous evil stepsister". Ritsu is awesome, man. ouo"))

Oh, that's right, though, Teto appeared in Chapter 3, so I guess it's not all the utauloids.

I really like how I've made Gumi a bit more funny. She was really emo and depressing the previous chapters. Ahhahaa…


	6. Chapter 6: A Surprise Invitation

AN: Chinese was taken from Google Translate. (I'm so sorry.)

For the sake of this fanfiction, uh, Gumi's summer vacation will start around the beginning of July. (This is probably not what happens in real life...)

* * *

><p>Gumi made her way down the hallway with a light spring in her step. It was starting to become warmer now, and she was starting to taste the familiar scent of summer in the air. Gumi wondered what kind of things the summer break would hold. Most years, she stayed indoors quietly clicking away through Nico Nico Douga, checking up on the latest Namine Ritsu hits. But this year was different.<p>

Gumi bit back a smile. This year, she had a boyfriend! True, summer break was still a week or two away, but that didn't stop her from daydreaming over possible future dates with Kaito. The last date they had was so sweet, it left her on cloud nine for days.

* * *

><p>The recently remodeled Clementina Cafe removed the gaudy lime green and lemon yellow color scheme and replaced it with a pastel orange and chocolate theme. As they tinkered into the quaint shop, Gumi could only describe the atmosphere of the unbelievably cute cafe in two words: absolutely sickening.<p>

It was absolutely embarrassing! Gumi didn't really understand the concept of cuteness, and the frilled lacey table covers actually made her feel slightly uncomfortable. Peering around the store, if an object wasn't the color of shi—uh—_chocolate_, then it was either in pink or orange, colors that made Gumi feel like she was inside a rotting grapefruit.

But Kaito made it better. Of course he did. As they peered into the glass to decide their orders, Gumi forgot the fact that it was Miku who was the on-duty waitress. She was oblivious to the stares and whispers from a neighboring group of girls. She was happy, and nothing else mattered.

She took a bite out of her Mont Blanc.

"How is it?" Kaito asked her. He had gotten a strawberry shortcake.

"It's delicious!" She said. She let the impossibly sweet taste wash over her. It made her shiver.

One bite was more than enough to make her feel satisfied, but Gumi eventually finished the Mont Blanc in record time. _Strange, I usually don't like sweets._ She thought as she wiped the crumbs away with a napkin.

"Next time, I can't wait to try something else that's just as delicious." She told Kaito. He smiled.

* * *

><p>"啊，有你！" A melodic voice said. Gumi paused and saw a girl she didn't recognize approach her. The girl was wearing the standard school uniform, but with a peculiar pillow-like character clipped to her collar. What struck Gumi the most was the intricate arrangement her hair was arranged. It was beautiful, almost as if the girl was a princess from another world. Gumi hated it.<p>

"我說完遞過的卡片出來!" She told Gumi cheerfully. "世界上只有一個左。" She excitedly handed Gumi an envelope.

"...Is this for me?" Gumi said, perplexed. Was it Chinese? It sounded like Chinese, but it was hard for Gumi to tell since she wasn't skilled in any language besides Japanese.

"是的，只有一張卡離開。" The girl nodded before checking her watch. "Oh! 我現在得走了! 回頭見！" And with that, the strange girl rushed away.

Gumi stared at the card in her hand for awhile. Confused, she opened the envelope.

"_You are cordially invited to Sonika's Fabulous Costume Birthday Party on July 14th!" _the card stated. "_That's right, Sonika (me) has returned from her trip from China! I've missed you all sooooo very much!" _

_Why a costume party in the middle of the summer?!_ Gumi thought exasperatedly as she stuffed the card into her bag. She began walking again as she made her way down to the courtyard to meet Kaito.

_I don't really want to go to a stupid party, but... _Gumi thought about the recent events, about how she was trying to change herself into a better person, and about her new boyfriend. These were new experiences to her, experiences that she liked. Sure, the new Gumi was entirely fake since she still hadn't quite gotten rid of her sour, grumpy attitude. But still, she changed, even if just partially and only on the outside. That accounted for something, right?

Her face lit up when she saw Kaito waiting for her by the school gate. _I'll go to the party._ She decided. _It might be fun._

"Missed me?" She giggled as she slipped her hand into Kaito's. He smiled.

"I missed you a lot." He grinned before placing a kiss on her head. Gumi felt positively happy.

_I won't bring Kaito, though. _She thought.

_Just in case._

* * *

><p>AN: I don't know if Mont Blancs are "impossibly sweet". If they aren't, then please assume that that Mont Blanc was incorrectly made. (Haha, Clementina Cafe is <em>MOST DEFINITELY NOT<em> a top-notch cafe.)

We're doing it! We're doing it, kids! We're starting to get into the plot! Wooahhh!

It's actually pretty difficult trying to balance Gumi's faceted personality. I'm really sorry about that.


End file.
